ØST, The Culture and Literature of the Balkans (F27)
Course content
This course introduces students to basic elements of cultural history in the Balkans and explores how major cultural developments have shaped historical and contemporary culture. Through the study of a broad range of texts from the region — including literature, film, and popular culture — students will learn to identify key themes and situate them within their broader historical and cultural contexts.
The course develops students’ ability to critically approach both primary cultural texts and secondary scholarship. Students will explore major cultural trends and issues in the Balkans and learn to articulate their ideas clearly in both speech and writing. Emphasis is placed on formulating independent critical questions and applying basic methods of literary and cultural analysis, including close reading, contextualization, and comparative approaches across different media such as literature, film, and cultural practices such as sports, rituals and music.
Bacheloruddannelsen i østeuropastudier, 2026-ordningen
Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to
demonstrate:
Knowledge and understanding of
- The main characteristics of cultural and literary history of the Balkans up to the present
- The principal works/classics of the cultural and literary history of the Balkans
- Relevant concepts and theoretical approaches for analyzing cultural products, particularly in literature and cinema.
Skills in
- characterizing cultural phenomena, agents and products in relation to the appropriate historical periods
- identifying the formal and conceptual characteristics of principal cinematic and literary works from the Balkans
- explaining and presenting essential issues in the cultural and literary history of the Balkans.
Competencies in
- analyzing literary and cinematic works of art
- applying and adopting an independent and critical approach to primary and secondary sources.
Class-based teaching with lectures, discussions, presentations, and writing exercises.
The examiner sets a syllabus of 300–400 standard pages of academic literature, as well as a total of 8 literary fiction or film works from the language area in translation/with subtitles.
- ECTS
- 7,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
-
Home assignment, 6-10 standard pagesOral examination, 10 minutes
- Type of assessment details
- The ongoing test consists of a 10-minute oral examination and
two set home assignments
of 4-5 standard pages each. In total, the two assignments must have a length of 6-10 standard pages.
Weighting: The home assignments count for 50%, and the oral examination counts for 50%.
Exam language: English. - Aid
- All aids allowed
For rules on generative artificial intelligence, see Study Information.
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- No external censorship
- Re-exam
-
Set oral examination, 30 minutes including assessment. 30 minutes of preparation time.
Permitted aids: Syllabus and personal notes in physical form.
Criteria for exam assessment
See Learning Outcome
- Category
- Hours
- Lectures
- 0
- English
- 0
Kursusinformation
- Language
- English
- Course number
- HØEK0122FU
- ECTS
- 7,5 ECTS
- Programme level
- Bachelor
Bachelor choice
- Duration
-
1 semester
- Placement
- Spring
- Schedulegroup
-
Se skemalink
- Studyboard
- Study Board of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies
Contracting department
- Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies
Contracting faculty
- Faculty of Humanities
Course Coordinator
- Tea Sindbæk Andersen (6-757f793a3a3a476f7c7435727c356b72)
Teacher
Tea Sindbæk Andersen (nxr333@hum.ku.dk)
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Kursusinformation for indskrevne studerende